


The Greater Good

by SkyTintedWater



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bechdel Test Pass, Gen, Kidnapping, Multiple Slayers, Murder, Torture, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2018-12-18 13:37:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 23
Words: 20,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11875632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyTintedWater/pseuds/SkyTintedWater
Summary: In a world where Buffy Summers never existed, a Slayer dies and is revived. For the first time ever, two Slayers exist at once. And a terrible idea is born …





	1. First Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go horribly wrong for the Slayer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings for violence against women, kidnapping, torture and a lot of misogyny. This isn't a happy shiny fic, people.

Sarah sighs as the door shuts quietly behind her. She doesn't mean to be so loud, but her dad appears from the next room anyway, looking concerned. 

'Tired, love?' he asks, taking a sip of his tea. 

She nods, not bothering to conceal it. He'd only get mad - they'd promised, when they found out who and what she really was, that she wouldn't hide anything from him, not even the bad bits. Or the gory bits.

He frowns. 'That Krystal works you too hard. Maybe you could -'

'It's okay, Dad. Today was all books and gentle exercise.' Okay, that last part was a lie - Krystal had made Sarah run up and down five flights of stairs until she literally couldn't move. Her long black hair had come undone from her braid and stuck to her skin, turning pale from the recent lack of sunlight. Sarah had had to have her lunch lying down, drinking soup through a straw. At least she wouldn't feel sore tomorrow. Healing quickly was one of her favourite slayer perks. 

She sniffs the air. 'Is that spaghetti I smell?' Her father nods and she follows him into the kitchen, listening to him tell her about his day. Their dinner conversation remains light and when Sarah goes to bed after watching a bad movie with him she smiles to herself. They've been arguing a lot, lately. He seems to thinks she can simply quit being the slayer, as though it's a job and not something you _are_. She wishes her watcher hadn't mentioned to him that Sarah was unlikely to make it to twenty. 

Glad that she's been told to have the night off from patrolling, she changes into her most comfortable pyjamas and slips between the sheets, breathing easily. 

She dreams ...

_Sarah is in her old neighbourhood, walking through her elementary school. There is no one around, and it is peaceful. As she keeps walking, the sky grows darker, the air turns heavier. Moving forward becomes harder but she can't stop now, there is something, someone she has to see._  
People - women and girls - appear from nowhere. They stare at Sarah as she passes.  
They whisper.  
'He's coming.'  
'He's coming.'  
'He's coming he's coming he's coming he'scominghe'scominghe'scoming.'  
One of them grabs Sarah and spins her around. Her blue eyes stare into Sarah's black ones.  
'He kills me,' she says, but her voice is strange somehow - the vowels sound all wrong.  
'Don't let him kill me. I don't want to die.'  
'I don't want to die.' 

***

Krystal peers over her glasses. 'And was this a prophetic dream?' Her Scottish accent is more pronounced in the morning, as if she's too tired to cover it up.

Sarah shrugs. 'I think so. It felt ... real. Like the other dreams I've had, the ones that always come true.' She pauses. 'Who was that girl?'

'I don't know. You said she had an accent?'

Sarah nods. 'Australian, maybe?' 

Her watcher sighs. 'I will make some calls to our office there and see if they know anything. Hopefully we can prevent that young lady's death. Although why you're dreaming about someone you've never met ...' She shakes her head. 'No matter. It's time to start training - you're five minutes behind already.'

Sarah groans, but her watcher starts laughing. 'I'm joking, Sarah. Now, we'll be finishing the translation of the ancient Sumerian text, and after lunch you can try the arrow shooter.' 

'Why use a machine? Why can't you just shoot arrows at me?' 

'I will not respond to that. Come on young lady, your Sumerian is atrocious.' 

The rest of their day passes slowly, and after lunch Sarah is _dying_ to use the machine. She sets it up and then stands in front of it, bouncing impatiently on the balls of her feet.

She swats away the first arrow with contempt. 'Is that as fast as they can go?' she asks.

'No. This machine is at half speed and will remain that way until I am confident you can handle more.' 

Sarah growls but holds her temper. She knows from experience that arguing with Krystal changes nothing. So she focuses, swatting and dodging arrows and barely noticing when the arrows come faster. Soon she's covered in a thin sheen of sweat, standing straight only when the arrows stop.

'What's going on?'

'I have to go to the toilet,' says Krystal. 'Take a break and have a drink. When I come back we can start again.' 

Sarah does as she told … for thirty seconds, anyway. She can feel herself cooling down but she wants to keep going while her concentration is good and her blood is hot. So she reloads the machine and turns it on, turning it up a few notches.

She lets the first arrow go by to judge its speed. It doesn't seem much faster than before so she places herself in the arrows' path and swats them away, one by one, getting a good rhythm going, nearly singing in her joy at being able to move so freely, so smoothly. 

From out in the corridor she can hear a door open and close. She knows it's Krystal and turns to look, afraid she will be in trouble. 

It's only a brief glance but that's all it takes to break her concentration. She doesn't see the arrow at all, doesn't even know it's there until it slices gracefully through her skin, coming out the back of her neck and burying itself in the wall, releasing her blood which heads straight for the wall, the ceiling, the floor.

Sarah's hands go to her throat in an effort to keep the blood in. She tries, she really does but there's just so much of it and it's warm, disturbingly so and the floor is a lot closer than it should be but at least now it's cool beneath her cheek and as the door opens Sarah hopes, again, that Krystal doesn't yell at her for disobeying.

***

Krystal can't figure out why her slayer is on the floor, or where the pool of fake blood has come from. Fortunately she has had years of training in first aid so while her mind is still catching up her body springs into action, running to the kitchen for ice and running back even faster, packing it around Sarah's neck and ripping her jacket into wads to stop the flow of blood. She presses down hard on the wound like she's been taught, but she can only do it with one hand because with her other she's desperately trying to dial an ambulance. 

She breathes slowly and deeply, fighting her rising panic. She's seen people hurt before, but they were strangers. Not like this, not this young woman she admires so much and loves like a daughter, she can't die now. 

'You hear me, Sarah? You can't die now!' 

The ambulance must have been close because she hears them running inside and she calls out, directing them. They take over, pushing Krystal gently but firmly away. She doesn't fight them even though she wants to embrace her slayer, holding her in the desperate hope that that will make everything better. 

Sarah is bundled away and Krystal follows in her car, clinging to the desperate hope that her slayer might live. Once at the hospital, she sees Sarah being wheeled out of the emergency room, presumably to surgery. She tells a nurse everything she can and then, taking a deep breath, calls Ken. She explains what happened in short sentences, waiting for him to shout. He says nothing and hangs up. 

Before everything had happened so quickly but now everything is so slow, and it feels like hours before Ken arrives. He storms in and heads straight for Krystal, who at least has regained her composure. She isn't even sure what he's shouting at her, just that he's very angry and that he blames her for everything. Krystal does her best to calm him down, but the only thing that gets through to him is when she says that if he keeps yelling he will be removed by security and won't be able to be there when Sarah wakes up. He goes quiet, but his face remains red and angry.

After another age a doctor appears, smiling. 

'Are you Sarah's parents?' she asks.

Ken nods.

'She's a very lucky girl. The ... arrow, was it? It missed everything vital, and your wife here managed to stop the bleeding in time.' 

Krystal doesn't bother to correct her, so intense is her relief. 

'She'll be fine with a little rest. Would you like to see her now?'

The watcher steps forward but Ken moves in front of her, blocking her path.

'You aren't family,' he says. He walks away, the door closing firmly behind him, leaving Krystal standing alone.

*** 

On the other side of the world, a woman wakes up, pale and shaking, from a nightmare full of voices telling her she is the chosen one. 

'At least it's not as bad as the one with the scarecrow,' she mutters as she rolls over and goes back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this idea while watching Buffy, and although I'm sincerely glad they didn't try it in the show, and that it didn't even OCCUR to anyone in the show, I still wondered what would happen if it did. So I wrote it.  
> I've taken some liberties with the slayers' powers, and with how easy it is to kill vampires.  
> Also, to prevent confusion, I named the majority of the characters after characters from 'Orphan Black'. But this isn’t a crossover fic, I just suck at coming up with names.


	2. Inception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An idea is born

4/7  
Today was a tedious waste of time. Most of the morning was spent translating a document from the Ancient Eritrean and despite Marchetta's insistence that it was a very important spell it turned out to be a bill, unpaid. As per the terms of our bet, he handed over forty pounds and I handed him the rest of the documents, which will certainly turn out to be more bills.  
This is not what I pictured when I imagined being a Watcher. Oh, I knew it wouldn't all be glamour and staking, but translating ancient bills is beneath a man of my skills. I thought I would at least have been given my own Slayer by now. Krystal is hardly qualified, with only one PhD and her complete inability to file correctly. Still, it was reported today that her Slayer passed away, so things may change. The girl died in a training accident, no less. How shameful for the both of them. 

5/7  
What a time to be a Watcher! For the first time ever, there are not one, but two Slayers in existence! The Slayer who died was revived in time, but was dead long enough for the next Potential to be called! It was not me but Arthur MacIntyre who was chosen as her Watcher. He, at least, is qualified, and his charge will surely flourish under his care.   
Two Slayers!

8/7  
I have had a brilliant idea. So brilliant that I had to share it with the head of the Council immediately. I had not worked out some of the minutiae and that leads me to believe that that is why he rejected my idea. In fact, not only did he reject it, but he told me never to speak of it again, on pain of expulsion from the Council. I admit that the idea of expulsion did make me panic, and I expect that is why the memory spell I cast went so wrong. Still, Townsend is sure to remember his own name in a few days, and it cannot be traced back to me.   
I will not forget my idea. It is too important.   
I have taken a sabbatical. If no one will help me I will do this myself.   
This will change everything.


	3. Refusal of the call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allison DOES NOT WANT to be the Slayer

It takes four consecutive nights of the same dream (the one about being the chosen one, not the one with the scarecrow) before Allison finally notices that something has changed. Her evening jogs have become faster, but she puts that down to increased endurance. She can feel herself getting stronger, but she assumes it's her new vitamins. She feels her reflexes improve but thinks she must be imagining it. 

Really though, all of this is far less important to her than her first day at the University of Otago, which is tomorrow. She thinks about all the things that could happen - tripping in the café and spilling food all over herself while her classmates look on, laughing at her; failing all her exams; being ignored in class - and balances that with thoughts of what she wants - to pass all her classes with top marks, to make new friends, and maybe even gain a cute boyfriend. 

She hopes that her newfound strength will also include a welcome boost of self-confidence and crosses her fingers before she goes to sleep.

The next morning is neither as good or as bad as she feared it would be. She gave a couple of good answers in class and although she ate her lunch alone, she gave and received several smiles and all of her food ended up in her mouth, instead of on her clothes. Well, okay, there may have been a few crumbs, but no one's perfect, right?

She brushes away the last stray crumb from her jeans and looks up to see a strange man standing in front of her. Strange in that she doesn't know him, and stranger that he seems to know her. 

'Allison?' he asks.

She wonders if he is one of her tutors. She nods.

'My name is Arthur MacIntyre. You have been chosen as the next Slayer, and it is your duty to fight against the forces of evil. My duty as Watcher is to guide you and train you so you can be your very best.'

Not a teacher, then. She backs away slowly, her eyes taking in the crowded plaza around her. She is safe, probably. For now. He doesn't move as she gets further and further from him, and when she feels far away enough she turns and enters the nearest building. He doesn't follow her, but for the next few hours she can't shake the feeling that she is being watched. 

The rest of her day passes uneventfully, and she even manages to smile at a cute guy without making a total arse of herself. At home she drops off her things and goes for a quick jog, wondering about cute library guy and if he'll be there again tomorrow. 

Allison's tired from her first day and decides to take a shortcut through the park on her way back. As she nears the gate she hears a whimper, like a dog in pain. She stops and listens, but it doesn't happen again, so she continues. But as she walks forward she can hear a new sound, a sort of ... chewing noise, like a dog worrying at a bone. 

_Oh please, let it be a dog._

And then Allison sees ... later, she tells herself that it can't have been a monster, it must have been a strange, misshapen dog. And what it was eating with loud, slurping gulps wasn't a child, it was a ... chicken. Yes. Totally logical. For a dog to be eating a chicken in a public park.

When she wakes the next morning she doesn't remember getting home, or going to bed. She's still in her running gear, and her hands shake as she presses the snooze button. It takes a moment to remember why. 

As the image comes back to her, she shakes her head, hard, like that will make the image fly from her head and bang against the wall. 

_Dog. Chicken. That's what I saw. I did not walk away as a child was being murdered. Nope._

Her berries are dry in her mouth. They taste like copper, like blood. 

_It was definitely a dog. Eating a chicken. That's what I saw. That's what I saw._

Her second day at university is much like her first, except that now she has a better idea of where her classes are and she even gets to help someone find theirs. It's not a hot guy like she was hoping, but she may have made a friend in the process. 

At lunch Allison sees the man again, the one who called himself her 'watcher'. _Is that what stalkers call themselves now?_ she wonders as she heads towards the security booth. He doesn't follow her, but he doesn't look frightened when she points him out to the guard. He just nods and fades into the crowd behind him. If she hadn't been so creeped out, she might have been impressed. 

She starts to settle into a routine - days spent studying and meeting new people, nights spent writhing beneath her sheets as nightmare after nightmare gallops through her mind, leaving her sweaty and exhausted. She sees the 'watcher' everywhere, but he never approaches. 

He'd told her that she had to 'fight against evil' or something like that. Did he mean creatures like the ... the not-dog? Could she help save a kid next time?

Would he teach her not to be afraid? 

After waking up slick with sweat and helplessly tangled in her own sheets for the fifth night in a row, she makes her decision. 

A glance out of her window confirms her suspicions - her stalker is parked across the street. She marches towards him, stomping a little both to show him she is serious and to stop herself from turning around and hiding under her blanket. 

She knocks on the window, harder than she meant to but with admittedly impressive volume. It jerks him awake, and he looks at her, eyes wild and darting.

'You said you would teach me,' she said. 'Can you?'

'Yes,' he says, blinking rapidly. His eyes focus on her chest. 

'You're in your pyjamas.'


	4. Failure to Communicate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allison and Arthur fight. It ends badly.

'"The Slayer Handbook"? You do realise I have seven textbooks already? I can't read this one too!'

'The information in this book will help you stay _alive_ , Allison. Can you say that about any of your other textbooks?'

'Well, okay, no, but _this_ textbook doesn't come with assignments. _These_ ones do, and one of them is due tomorrow. I need to finish it!' 

Arthur groans. 'Allison. We have been over this. You are the slayer. You have responsibilities. You do not get to have a normal life too!' 

She stands in her chair, rage flooding through her. It's new, and a little scary.

She likes it.

'I am not the _only_ one. If there is a problem, the Yank can handle it. I'm going to finish my assignment - it may not be important to you, but it is to me.' She leaves the room, ignoring her watcher as he calls out, 'Sociology is not important!'

***

The next day (after her assignment is handed in and she's started on the next two due) she heads back to the building Arthur's hired for training. She is determined to make a real go of things this time, provided that her watcher understands that being a slayer is not her only job. She won't let it be. 

He accepts her presence with a grunt, and for a brief moment Allison thinks that all is well between them. But he clearly still holds a grudge, because he makes her spend the next hour doings pull ups until she has to stop to puke. 

'Time,' he says calmly, handing her a wet towel. 'Not bad. Sarah can do it in half that time - but I'm sure you'll improve.'

Allison feels a stab of hatred for the other slayer, Perfect Sarah who can do no wrong, at least in Arthur's eyes. 

She's allowed to rest for a moment, and then Arthur has her dodging knives. The fact that they're rubber doesn't reassure her at all, especially when he tells her that she'll soon be moving on to steel ones. Most of them thud against her torso, and she storms off in a huff, determined not to come back. Ever.

***

That night she has the dream again. 

_Something is stalking her, moving in the shadows just outside the firelight. She huddles closer to the flames but they don't warm her at all, they only show her how much she cannot see._

_Tonight the dream changes. Allison sees something moving, but it splits in two. One being comes towards her, and she realises that the being is a person. A woman. Her hair is matted, her skin daubed with white paint._

_'You must fight!' she growls, so close Allison can feel her breath, like a hot wind blowing in from the desert._

_'You must fight!'_

Allison wakes with a start and immediately bursts into tears. 'I CAN'T DO THIS!' she screams. 'IT'S TOO MUCH!'

But her crying doesn't do anything other than tire her out, so she lays back down and sniffles herself to sleep.

***

She goes back again, tired and firm in her belief that if things don't work out today she will tell Arthur that she quits. Let someone else do the slaying.

When she arrives Arthur has dragged in a table and chairs. He looks up as she enters and waves her to the empty chair. 

When she's seated he asks, 'Why did you ask me to train you?'

She sighs. 'Because ... I want to know. What I am. What those things from my dreams are. How they can be stopped.'

'How _you_ can stop them,' he says, quiet but forceful.

'Sure.'

'I am being hard on you. Not because I dislike you, but because I want you to survive. Being the slayer -'

' _A_ slayer.'

'... Being the slayer is tough. It is dangerous. And slayers do not live a long time. I am doing my best to train you. But you aren't doing yours. You need to give up this idea that you can be slayer and student. It can't be done. You need to give up your old life.'

Allison thinks it over. It would be easier, she thinks, to give up study, looking for a part-time job, asking her parents for money. Easier, then, to trade it in for a life consisting of tracking, hunting, and slaying. 

But she's not built that way. She can't - she won't - give up the life she's been working towards for so long. So she shakes her head at her watcher. 

He stands up quickly, face red with anger, and bangs his hip on the table, spilling his coffee into his lap. 

'FUCK!' he screams, jumping around like ... well, like a man who's just had hot coffee poured onto his genitals. 

Allison rushes forward with some tissues but he pushes her away, furious. 

'What are these for? Get me a tea towel, you stupid bint!' 

She doesn't know what a bint is, but she can tell it's not good. Having him insult her so openly is the final straw and she runs from the building, making it all the way to the street before she runs into an outstretched hand holding a sharp-smelling handkerchief.

Her world goes black.

***

Theodore catches the fallen Slayer and places her in the passenger seat of his car. She's heavier than she looks, and he's suddenly glad for all the hours he's put in at the gymnasium. He drives her to the warehouse he's set up and before she can stir he ties her ankles and wrists together with quick, efficient knots. Good thing he was a Scout. 

She starts to stir when he brings her inside. It's a little sooner than he was expecting, but he doesn't worry. Before she can register what's going on he drags her to the tank in the centre of the otherwise empty room and shoves her into the water, face first. He counts as he does so, making sure she's underwater for no less than a minute, no longer than a minute and a half.

But now he realises that his calculations were more wrong than he thought. She struggles, hard, and manages to lift her head above water, gasping air and looking for all the world like a dying fish. 

Suddenly furious that she would dare defy him he stands and shoves her entire torso underwater. Leaning over her, he has all the leverage, and for all her strength she is as helpless as a newborn.

As he calms down Theodore realises with a jolt that he hasn't been keeping count, and the slayer's been still for a while now. Perhaps too long.

He pulls her from the water and lays her down, none too gently. Tipping her head back he breathes into her mouth, compressing her chest like he's been taught to do. 

But she stays pale and cold, and the blue tinge to her lips only grows deeper. 

He sits back on his heels, staring at his failure. 

'Bugger,' he says.


	5. Refinement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The idea needs some ... adjusting

20/7  
It didn't work. She kept struggling and I lost count. I shall have to recalculate my dosage for next time. She made it very difficult for me. Still, according to the shouting I heard between her and Arthur she was particularly useless. Not a patch on the American one. Perhaps her replacement will be better. I hope so - the world needs it.   
It occurs to me that I should wear a mask. Since the next one will survive, I cannot have her remember my face. 

21/7  
Arthur's apartment was shockingly easy to break into. When I have returned from my sabbatical I shall have a word with him. Why, any first year Wicca with a knowledge of Ancient Greek and an Amulet of Hedwig could have broken his wards! Still, I have the book I need to scry the location of the next Slayer.   
The spell was a trifle more difficult than I expected, and I shall have to launder my tie several more times to get out all the blood, but I know where she is now. If I hurry, I can reach her before her Watcher does.   
This mission will be long and arduous, I can feel it. But it is a worthy one.  
Ah, how much better the world will be when it has an Army of Slayers to guard it!


	6. When Rachel met Felix

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Slayer meets her Watcher. Again.

'A _human_ killed the other slayer?' says Sarah, sitting up straighter in bed. 'I didn't think it was possible. I mean, a couple of weeks ago I could run a three minute mile and push a guy through a brick wall if I wanted to. Who's strong enough to kill _us_?'

Krystal sighs. 'We don't know. The seers in the Council are ... troubled. The killer is concealing himself -' 

'Or herself.'

'- Or herself, somehow. And the seers are very strong indeed. There's every chance he or she is a wicca, or a warlock. But I wouldn't worry,' she said, patting Sarah on the hand. 'The Council has sent a backup team to you, and there's another on the way to Mumbai.'

'Is that where the new one is?' asks Sarah.

'Yes. Felix hasn't made contact yet, but he assures me the new slayer will be interesting.' 

'Can I meet her?'

'No. You're needed here.'

'But I -'

'No!' snapped Krystal. She takes a deep breath before she speaks again. 'Sarah, we don't know what we're facing. And until we do, you need to train. You start tomorrow.' She stands, and before Sarah realises what is happening her watcher is leaning over her to plant a soft kiss on the top of her head. 

'Rest up,' she whispered. 'Tomorrow, we go hard. And when you're stronger, we'll catch this bastard.'

***

She can't decide what is worse: spending the day writing about Shakespeare and enucleation or catching the bus with a bunch of people who hate her. Rachel tries to be positive and makes it all the way to the bus stop where she is pelted with tomatoes which drip down her long blonde hair. She decides goes back to her original idea for the day.

She jumps over the fence, noting with surprise how much easier it is - last week she got stuck halfway up until a boy came to laugh at her and she used his head as a launch pad to carry herself up and over. 

She heads to her favourite café and orders her usual. The owner glares as he brings her drink over but Rachel's used to that and ignores him. 

It's nice here - nothing changes much. The same sort of people wander by and she tells herself stories about their lives. But today someone is standing out. He's good looking, but in an arrogant way. He knows how he looks and is used to using it to get what he wants.   
She's not surprised when he approaches her - he's been staring at her since she took her first sip of her bitter black coffee. 

'Is this seat taken?' He sits down without waiting for a response so she doesn't give him one. 

'You can't afford me,' she says. 

He grins and shakes his head. 'Rachel, do you believe in magic?'

She had expected various pickup lines but that sure as hell wasn't one. 

'What would you do if I told you magic was real? If vampires and witches and demons were all real and you, Rachel Liddle, were an intrinsic part of that world?' 

Her mouth goes dry. She's always wanted to believe magic was real, always wanted to be special. But she's learned the hard way that nothing comes for free. There is always a price, and mildly good-looking men who offer white, blonde girls 'magic' in the centre of Mumbai are to be avoided. 

'Bugger off!' she snarls, rising out of her chair before running away. It isn't until she makes it home that she realises the 10km trip only took her four minutes. 

'Like magic,' she says.

***

When she and her mother moved to India, Rachel was unhappy. When her mother met the man who would become her third husband, Rachel was unhappy. When they all moved in together, and she had to live with her step-father and her step-brother, she was unhappy, although admittedly Dev is kind of cool, and always lets her play _Shoot to Kill_ as long as his dumb friends aren't around. 

She can't remember the last time when she was happy. 

But now, standing on the roof of their two-storey house, barely winded after climbing the whole way, Rachel is not happy. She is _exhilarated_ as she rethinks her whole life. 

She doesn't have to finish school. She doesn't have to get a boring nine-to-five job. She doesn't have to get married and move halfway around the world. She can do what she wants, because she has _power_. 

Admittedly, it's a power she doesn't understand or know how to use, but that guy in the cafe seemed to know. She can ask him. And if she doesn't like what she hears, she can snap him like a twig. She punches clean through the gutter, grinning to herself. 

Life is going to be a whole lot more fun now.

***

He's sitting in the same place. She knew he would be, and wonders if she's psychic now, or if she's still just a really good guesser. 

Rachel sits across from him, waving away the waiter. 'Teach me,' she says. 

'That's why I'm here,' he says casually. 

'What do you know?' she asks.

He leans forward. 'You are the Slayer. You have been granted strength and speed, and it is your duty now to protect the world against the forces of evil. I am your Watcher, and it is my job to train you for the fight ahead.'

'Fight? Like, end of the world stuff?' She leans forward too, despite herself. This is all the things she's dreamed of since she was a child.

The man shrugs. 'Possibly. There's always some world-ending event happening somewhere, and the slayer is called to the area which is in the greatest need.' 

'What happens if I don't want to fight?' she says arrogantly. 

'I think you do want to fight, Rachel. I think you've been spoiling for a good fight for years and you finally have an enemy you can beat up - even kill - without there being any negative consequences.' He leans back, sipping at his coffee. His eyes never leave Rachel's. 

'Kill?'

'There are demons out there. Monsters. All the things you've ever been frightened of, all the things under the bed and in the closet and hiding around the next corner. They're all real, and your job is to kill - or rather, slay - the ones that cause trouble for humans.'

Rachel stares at him, thinking it over. Then she sits back. 

'When do we start?'

***

She rests her hands on her knees, doubled over and trying desperately not to throw up. Her newfound strength is a distant memory, and she curses herself for being weak.

A glass of water appears in front of her face and she grabs at it, dropping it because her fingers are slick with sweat.

'Fuck!' she snarls, falling to her knees. 

A water bottle appears this time. She looks up and sees her watcher smiling gently at her.

'It's your first day, and you've done extremely well,' Felix says. 

'I can barely move,' she grumbles. 

'Because you spent most of the morning learning 'muyu 24 gi'. Then you ran thirty miles. And _then_ you boxed for twenty minutes straight. Most slayers don't do this well in their first week.'

'So, I'm special?'

He stares at her for a moment. 'Yes,' he says. 'You're special.'


	7. Hot for Student

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training, and a lost chance

She spends a lot of time complaining, especially when she learns that her duties as Slayer mean she will have to learn things other than punching, which is all she seems to want to do. 

'Why the hell do I have to learn _Latin_? I thought I was going to be stabbing demons and shit.'

Felix tugs the crossbow away from her and replaces it with a book. 'To be a successful slayer, that is to say a living one, you must know all you can about your enemies. And that means doing a lot of reading, most of it in languages other than English. So get learning, and when you have translated this passage we will go out for coffee.'

'Do all watcher bribe their slayers?' she says, turning the pages with a sigh. 

'Some do. Krystal tells me that her slayer never needs to be bribed.' He doesn't like to needle her like this, but Rachel's jealousy of the other slayer (that still sounds strange to think) pushes her onwards, and she has the passage translated far faster than he'd estimated. 

'This is about mermaids,' she says. 'Seriously? How dangerous can they be?'

'Dangerous enough that you should never go swimming off the coast of Scotland. Particularly around Aberdeen. Well, you'd probably be all right. They're more interested in men.'

'Have you ever seen one?' Her face is open with curiosity, and he feels an unfamiliar stirring in his gut. 

'Yes,' he says, looking away. 'I saw one take a dog once when I was a boy. It was ... awful.'

'Sorry,' she says, patting him on the hand, which suddenly feels like it's on fire. Felix looks at it in confusion. Is he sick?

They spend the rest of the day exercising, and by the end Felix is bruised, winded and terrified of his newfound feelings for his slayer. When she leaves for the day he reminds himself that at least she's eighteen and so that makes him only mildly creepy. It doesn't help.

At home, after a cold shower and a bracing slug of bourbon he calls Krystal. 

'How goes the training?' she asks. 

'All right. She's a little miffed not to be the only slayer, and when she gets too off-track I remind her that your slayer is diligent in her studies.'

They discuss their slayers and their own lives some more before Felix finally works up the nerve to say what's been on his mind all day: 'Krystal, I know we're not supposed to get attached to our slayers but -'

She laughs, kindly. 'That rule is nonsense. In theory it's a good idea to stay detached and focussed but my experiences with Sarah have made me grow quite fond of her. Of course we love our slayers.'

'Love? You love her?'

'She's become like a daughter to me.'

'... Oh,' says Felix, the realisation that this was a terrible idea surfacing in his mind like a selkie's head through sea water.

The pause on the other end is damning. 'Felix, when you said 'attached', I hope you didn't mean -'

'No, of course not. I'm just ... fond of the girl, that's all. How was the funeral? I hope Arthur's all right. Must be off now, have to be up early tomorrow and all that. Bye.' As he hangs up he realises he is actually sweating.

'Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck.' 

***

Arthur wakes up not knowing what day it is, where he is, and he's not entirely sure who he is. He does know that his entire body is one big ache and that he's about to vomit all over himself. He rolls over in time and vomits on the floor instead. The effort of that is too much for him, and he passes out again. 

When he regains consciousness the second time his head is clearer, although he still hurts and his nose is full of the smell of his own vomit. He's also still unclear on exactly where he is, but after a moment's thought he realises the strange surface above him is the underside of the kitchen table.

It takes a couple of goes, but he manages to stand up, only slipping in the vomit once. He blinks sleepily, mentally lists the things he should do to feel human again, and gets to work. 

After what feels like an age he - and the floor - are clean, and the painkillers are starting to kick in. On the counter, his phone buzzes, and he picks it up to see a slew of missed calls and text messages. 

'Are you going to the funeral?'  
'Could you pick me up from the airport?'  
'Do you know what kind of flowers she liked? If not I'll just get roses.'  
'The funeral's in ten minutes, where are you?'  
'Where are you?'  
'Call me.'  
'Call me.'  
'Call me.'

He checks the date. July 28th. The day _after_ Allison's funeral. 

Arthur wants to throw up again. He missed her funeral. No, he drunkenly slept through her funeral, after failing her as a watcher and letting her be killed by some psycho. 

He opens the cupboard but finds no alcohol. Even the secret stash beneath his desk is empty. 

Sober, sore and horribly guilty, Arthur falls to his knees and weeps. 

***

'Why aren't you always on your phone?' 

Rachel continues to sharpen her sword. 'I have no idea what you mean,' she says. 

'Ever other teenage girl is nearly constantly glued to her phone. Even some of the younger watchers do it. But I've only ever seen you text your brother once. Is everything okay?'

She shrugs and swings the sword through the air, enjoying the sound it makes. 'Don't have any friends here. Don't speak to my old friends back home. Don't speak to my family, 'cept Dev, and that was just to let him know I know he was in my room the other night and I'm going to murder him. Plus, a phone would just get broken.' To demonstrate, she cartwheels across the room, sword still in her hand. 'Why, did you want to call me or something?'

A blush spreads across her watcher's face and she sighs. She'd been hoping that his crush on her was all in her head, but every day it becomes painfully obvious that his feelings are real - and growing. She doesn't know how to tell him she's not interested but still wants him as her watcher. 

She wonders if she should ask the council. Or the other watcher, the one that trains the American slayer. 

'I just feel like you should have a way to contact me. In an emergency,' he says, looking away. 

'Felix, yesterday I killed seven vampires in two minutes. I'm not exactly helpless.' 

He sighs. 'I am aware of that. But something about Allison's death ... it's got the council on edge. She was killed by a human, a human who'd carefully planned what he or she wanted to do. And I'm worried they might come for you.'

'But you said that Allison chick wasn't very good, right? I'm not dumb enough to get kidnapped.'

For the first time since she's met him, Felix looks angry. 'Do NOT disrespect former slayers!' he snapped. 'The _only_ reason you have the strength to slay is because of Allison's death. She may not have been the best but she was a person and your predecessor, and you will show her some respect.' 

Rachel took a step back. 'Sorry man, I ... sorry. I never thought about it like that.'

Felix takes several short breaths before he speaks again. 'I didn't mean to shout,' he said. 'It's just ... Rachel, you're a good person and an excellent slayer, but you're also selfish and rude. Please think about how your actions affect others.' 

She actually feels ashamed of herself. 'Yes, Felix.' 

He sighs again. 'Keep your phone on you. Keep your wits about you. And stay safe.'


	8. Creation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theodore tries again

17/9  
The new slayer is far more wary than the previous one. She checks her surroundings in every reflection, never takes the same route twice and takes pains to travel in crowded areas.   
It is frustrating to be outwitted by a young girl. Her watcher must have trained her in such methods. I can only imagine this because I have not been able to get close enough to their training grounds to confirm my suspicions.   
I have a plan, but it will take time and cunning to pull it off. Fortunately, I have plenty of both.

20/9  
Delphine has been leaving me messages. I cannot answer, of course - my calling is great and requires all of my attention. But I cannot help but imagine what she wants. I hope Mama hasn't fallen ill again.   
I did read one of her emails, in which she detailed what happened to Townsend - i.e that someone (she does not know it is me) put a memory spell on him which wiped away not only his conversation with me but all of the last month. I had no idea my magic was so strong! Perhaps a memory spell would work on the slayer? I shall add it to my plan. 

21/9  
Success! I, Theodore Sebold, have created a Slayer! My hands are shaking as I write this, my handwriting is nearly illegible. More later.

21/9 - Afternoon  
Here is how my brilliant plan transpired:   
I bribed a small and sticky child to steal Felix's phone, which I then used to text Rachel to say that she should meet 'me' in the plaza where 'we' first met. Simple, trusting girl that she is, she went there straight away, cutting through an alleyway as a shortcut. I, of course, deduced that she would walk that way and was waiting for her, chloroform at the ready.   
Chloroform is not terribly effective when sprayed directly into someone's face, but it did slow her reflexes enough that I was able to clamp a chloroform-soaked rag over her nose and mouth, rendering her unconscious.   
When she went limp I carried her to my car, parked at the other end of the alley. From there I had to drive quickly to the location I had prepared, and there I could get her inside, away from prying eyes. Inside I tied her efficiently, making sure she wasn't able to struggle or fight back - I learned my lesson after the last one.   
Then, as she was beginning to regain consciousness, I plunger her head underwater.   
She struggled of course, but this time I had the upper hand and was able to keep count - two minutes underwater, no more, no less.   
When I pulled her out she was limp and not breathing. Her heart had stopped, her pulse stilled.   
I revived her using my Watcher training, and she came back to life, coughing and spluttering. I left as quickly as I could, but not before using her phone to text Felix her location.   
My plan was a little flawed, I will admit - I had to remove my mask in order to give her mouth-to-mouth. But it is a small adjustment, easily remedied.   
I have a lot more work to do. There are only three Slayers, and I need more. The _world_ needs more.


	9. Connection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Families break, and new ones emerge

Sarah hits the punching bag so hard its chain breaks and it flies across the room, hitting the opposite wall hard enough to leave a sizeable dent. Behind her, Krystal sighs.

'Sarah, please stop taking your frustration out on the equipment. We only have one bag left.'

Said bag, which weighs eighty kilos, is being lifted one-handed by Sarah so she can start again. 'Why shouldn't I be frustrated?' she says sarcastically. 'We're being targeted by some psychopath, who I keep dreaming about but can't catch. Especially since I'm stuck here!'

'You need to be trained.' 

'I'm strong, I'm fast, and if I go to India there'll be _two_ of us! You told me her watcher said she's doing really well, right?'

Krystal finally looks up from her book. 'We do not know who is targeting slayers and we do not know why. We do not want to aggravate them, or tip them off. Rachel is good, yes, and she is being watched over by Felix. She will be fine.'

'Then why can't I -'

'The council has forbidden you to travel to Mumbai. Stay here, work on your control, and I will take it up with them again. Also, have lunch. It's two-thirty.' 

***

_A mask, blank grey, eye holes black as the void. The man - she's sure it's a man - giggles the entire time he holds her underwater, even when she struggles, even when water enters her lungs, burning her nose and throat and she can't breath she can't breathe she can't breeeeeaaaaathe_

Sarah wakes up screaming, sucking in as much air as she can handle, so much she's dizzy with it. Her bedroom door slams open and her father runs in, looking wild. 

'What's wrong? Is there someone here? Tell me!'

'N-nightmare. Drowning ... hurts ... _he's killing her!'_

Ken grabs her by the shoulders, bringing his face close to hers. 'Honey, your eyes are like saucers ... are you on something?'

She can breathe now, and she calms enough to say, 'No Dad. It was a nightmare. Sorry for waking you up.' Gently she pushes him away enough to reach for her phone. 

'Who are you calling? It's three in the morning!'

'It's important, Dad. Go back to bed. I'll make you breakfast later, okay?'

Her father sits on the end of her bed but doesn't leave the room. Sarah fights to stop rolling her eyes and calls Krystal. When her watcher answers, Sarah tells her in short, sharp sentences that the other slayer has been attacked, or is about to be attacked, and she's packing her bags and heading for Mumbai on the first possible flight.

Krystal is silent for a moment. 'Are you at home?'

'Yes.'

'I'm coming over.'

In the short time it takes Krystal to reach Sarah's house, she and her father have had several arguments about her leaving the country, mostly consisting of him saying 'no' and Sarah saying 'yes'. He becomes even more furious when Krystal arrives, and he won't leave Sarah's room until she threatens to tell him who dies in _Hunger Games_. That makes him leave, muttering furiously under his breath as he does so. 

Sarah turns to her watcher, who looks awful. 'Did you speak to the council?' she asks, shoving random clothes into a spare gym bag.

Krystal shakes her head. 'No. Let's go - I booked two flights, leaving in four hours. We need to go now.'

Sarah looks down at her ducky pyjamas. 'Give me five minutes,' she says. 

***

Rachel tries to pull out the various tubes and needles shoved inside her, but every time she does the machines start screaming and angry nurses come in to fix everything. They keep ignoring her when she says she's just fine.

'You were drowned!' they cry. 'You're lucky to be alive! It's a miracle you don't have brain damage!' 

So for the first two days she grudgingly follows Felix's advice: 'Pretend you're a normal girl. Pretend you're not healed yet. I'll sign you out tomorrow.'

It's not bad being in the hospital, but it's incredibly boring. And then things take a turn for the worse when her parents show up. She's pleased to see them until she notices their expressions. 

Her mother is crying. 'Rachel, what did you do?'

'What?'

'We're very disappointed in you,' says her step-father. 'Was it drugs? I bet it was drugs.'

'Skipping school, hanging out with bad people - Rachel, you're lucky you didn't die!'

Rachel just shakes her head. 

'We can't have you near Dev anymore. You're a bad influence on him. You need to leave,' says her mother, holding her husband's hand. 

Rachel shrugs, biting her tongue. 'That's cool,' she says, as casually as possible. 'I was gonna move out anyway. Your place is a dump.' 

Her mother bursts into fresh tears as she and Cal leave the room. Rachel turns her face to the wall, blinking rapidly to stop her own tears from falling. She hears the door creak as it opens, and turns back, hoping against hope that her parents have changed their minds, that they haven't rejected her, that this was all a terrible mistake. But it's Dev, looking nervous.

'I have some money. You can have it. I hope it helps you get a new place.' 

Rachel looks at the money he's pressed into her palm. It's not a lot, but she's grateful for it anyway. 'Thanks, man,' she says. She can't say anything else. 

He shrugs. 'It's nothing. Keep in touch, though, okay? I won't tell Mum and Dad.'

'Sure. Now get out, aren't you supposed to be at cricket practice?'

Dev grins, kisses her on the cheek and leaves. 

Once she's got control of herself, Rachel reaches for her phone and texts one of the two numbers stored in it. She tells Felix everything that happened with her family, and then lies back. She knows he'll show up and make everything better. 

***

It strikes her as odd that this hospital smells the same as the one she had to stay in, of bleach and quiet despair. She shivers at the memories and turns to Krystal. 

'We should stop by the gift shop. Get her a present.' 

Krystal nods. 'You do that while I find out where she's staying.'

Tasks completed, they head upstairs. Outside one room a young and _very_ good-looking man is waiting. He looks up and smiles at their arrival. Sarah smiles back, pleased at the attention, until she realises he's looking at Krystal and not her. 

'Feel free to head inside,' says the man, who must be Felix. 'Rachel's looking forward to meeting you.'

Inside, Sarah looks up to see Rachel peeling off the hospital gown. She looks away, embarrassed. 

'Felix, I told you to keep out while I - Oh. You must be the other slayer, yeah?' 

Sarah nods, her eyes firmly on the floor. She hears the other girl snort. 

'Don't be so shy. Surely you've seen a naked chick before?'

'Well, yeah, but only, y'know, myself.' 

Rachel laughs. 'We're all pretty much the same. Well, except the two of us. We're special, right?'

'Because we're slayers?'

'That. Also, We've both died and lived to tell about it. How many people can say _that?_ '

Sarah grins. 'I never thought about it that way.'

Rachel (who is fully dressed now) looks Sarah up and down. 'Let's go to my place,' she says. 'I want to check it out.' She looks at Sarah's confused expression and says, casually, 'My parents kicked me out, so Felix talked the council into renting me a place. It's probably crap, but he promised me I can redecorate. Want to help?' 

'Uh ... sure,' says Sarah. She's not sure yet how to feel about the other slayer, but she'd like to find out more about her.


	10. A New Way of Thinking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another slayer. Another watcher. Another chance for Theodore.

It's the second night in a row she's had the nightmares. She sits up, bathed in sweat, and moves quietly to the window, trying not to wake her brothers. 

The moon is full tonight. Everything beneath it is pale and cold - except Cosima. She sighs with knowledge beyond her years and returns to bed. 

Now that she is the new slayer, she wonders who her watcher will be?

***

The next day Uncle Tony arrives, fresh-faced despite the heat. He is immediately swarmed by Cosima's two brothers, who demand attention and presents in loud, piping voices. Cosima and her parents hang back, watching the scene before them in silence. 

'Tony, I didn't know you'd be visiting us!' says Cosima's father. 

'It's not exactly a social call,' says Tony, and although Cosima can't see she can _feel_ her mother's face fall. He follows her father inside and they shut themselves in the kitchen. Cosima follows them, her ear pressed against the cool wood of the door. 

'She's the new slayer, isn't she?' says her mother.

'Yes.'

'Who died?'

'Her name was Rachel. She's fine now. It's a long story.'

'So, there's more than one? Does that mean Cosima doesn't have to fight?' The hope in Catherine's voice tears at Cosima's heart. Even before she hears Uncle Tony's answer, she knows what it will be.

'There are now three slayers in the world. Cosima is one of them, and she has been called to fight. It is her duty.' 

'She needs a watcher, yes?' asks Andrew. 'Is it you?'

'I pulled some strings - and bribed a couple of people - but, yes, I am Cosima's watcher. I will protect her as best I can.'

Cosima walks away. She doesn't need to hear any more.

Outside her brothers are playing, kicking up dirt as they run. She tells herself it's dust in her eyes that makes the tears come. 

***

'Is it true that vampires look just like regular people, Uncle Tony?' she says as she whittles another stake. Beside her are her brothers, competing to see who can whittle the most. They already have three cut fingers between them, and Cosima predicts it will reach seven before they give up. Their stakes have already tasted blood. 

She wonders if vampires bleed. 

'Yes, they look like humans most of the time.'

'So how can you tell what they are?' asks Elisha.

Tony explains how vampires are made, how their faces change, and how to kill them. Elisha and Sam are enthralled. Cosima is less excited.

'Do I need to use a stake each time?' she asks.

'No. But it's the easiest way.'

She disagrees but says nothing. When they are done making stakes (fifty-four, and her brothers have nine cuts between them) she asks Tony to teach her how to use a crossbow. He frowns and consults a book. When she doesn't move, he closes the book and puts it away. 

'Of course. The most important thing, with any weapon, is to learn where the safety catch is …'

***

_She dreams of blood. She dreams of water. She dreams of women, all older than her. Some cry, some scream, some hold her._

_'Stay strong,' they whisper. 'You can do this, Cosima.'_

_One of them hangs back, her shadow touching them all. She says nothing, but when her eyes meet Cosima's she nods, just once, one professional to another._

***

It's three days before Tony finally tells her what's on his mind.

'You're in danger,' he says. 

'Slayers are always in danger,' she says, taking aim. With a _thunk_ , the arrow flies through the air and hits the centre of the target. She beams. 

'This is different,' he says. 'Someone is targeting slayers. We don't know who, and we don't know why.'

'Is that why the slayer before me is still alive?'

'How did you know that?'

She could say she dreamed it, but Cosima is a terrible liar and the truth of it shows on her face. 

Tony sighs. 'I'm not happy that you eavesdropped, Cosima. But at least you didn't lie.' He takes the crossbow away and sits beside her. 'The council is concerned. There is a chance the person targeting slayers is … a watcher.'

'Aren't they all your friends, though?' she asks.

'Not all of them. But I know them all, and I don't think any of them are capable of this. Still, with the information this person has, and the odd things happening back at headquarters … they're being careful. That's why we - and when I say we I'm including your parents - don't want you going out at night. Or by yourself.'

Cosima nods. It's nice to know the sense of danger that settled in her chest is not imagined. 

'Also, the council has sent in some of our … tougher agents to keep an eye on you. They'll keep their distance so you don't feel crowded, but you'll be watched. Until this person is caught.'

She throws her arms around him, allowing herself to feel - just for a second - the full weight of the responsibility she has to bear, even though it wasn't asked for, nor wanted. Tony hugs her back. 

Then she takes a deep breath, sits back and says, 'I have to go somewhere. I'll take Sam and Elisha with me. I won't be long.'

***

Tony is at the local supermarket when someone taps him on the shoulder. It's a man he's never seen before, and he's instantly wary.

'You're Cosima's uncle, yes?' says the man. Tony notices that he's dressed like a priest.

'Well, we're not actually related, but her father and I are close friends. Why do you ask?'

'She came into the church yesterday and asked me to bless an entire barrel of water! And then, if you can believe it, she and her brothers spent the rest of the day using it to fill water balloons!' His laughter reverberates around the shop. 'Holy water balloons! Did you ever dream of such a thing?'

'Er, no … I hadn't,' said Tony, who suddenly realises he's underestimated his slayer. 

The priest's expression turns serious. 'She's fighting a great evil, yes?'

Tony nods. The priest does too. 

'I see. If I can assist in any way, please don't hesitate to call, yes?' He walks away. Tony watches him leave, but doesn't notice the man watching them both from across the street.


	11. Groundwork

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slayers train and become friends while strangers talk

She refuses to learn to fight. After a lengthy discussion Cosima learns to block blows, which her brothers enthusiastically dish out (until Uncle Tony finds out, at which point they are escorted back to the house).

'I'm twelve,' she says. 'I can't fight demons - most of them are twice my size.'

'But you're extraordinarily strong! You could pick up nearly any demon and throw them across a football stadium!'

She shakes her head and learns only what she wants. Tony quickly gives up trying to change her mind. At least her language skills are developing, as well as her logic skills. 

After two weeks she goes back to school. Her lessons there seem boring now, her schoolmates childish, but at her parents' request she plays along and pretends to be normal.

She's beginning to hate that word.

***

Sometimes Sarah is jealous of Rachel. Having a place to call your own (even if her watcher does live next door) is awesome, especially when they stay up all night talking and watching movies, ordering pizza at two am because neither of them can be bothered to cook. 

Other times, Sarah isn't jealous at all. One day she answers a call from her dad, who she misses with a nearly physical ache. She sees Rachel's expression before the other girl turns away and feels sad - at least she can rely on her family. 

But mostly the two slayers get along great. They have a lot of fun sparring with each other, and both agree it's nice to find someone they don't have to hold back against. Their watchers disagree, especially on the day Sarah ends up with a broken finger, but they set it and the next day it's fine again. She doesn't mind, much.

***

Father Wilson is surprised when he sees a young man run in and kneel close to the alter. He is praying fervently. His skin is pale, making the dark circles under his eyes stand out. His hands shake as he makes the sign of the cross.

When the young man stands Father Wilson approaches him. 'Are you all right … young man?' He wanted to say 'my son', but something stopped him. He didn't know what. 

'I have to do something. But it's difficult. I'm having trouble finding the strength, so I thought I'd ask for some.'

'May I ask what your task is?' says the priest.

The young man laughs. 'It's a secret, even from a man of the cloth. But I'm feeling better now - I needed a sign. And I just received one.'

He leaves, and it's not until he's gone that Father Wilson realises what was so wrong about the man.

He smelled … no, he _reeked_ of blood.


	12. Unravel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A set of stairs brings disaster

10/10  
Kenya is unspeakably hot. And dusty. How do so many people keep their white clothes so clean?I loathe this place. I need a plan soon, before the heat and the flies drive me mad.

16/10  
My plan is in place. I can snatch the girl in a week's time and reconstruct her. However, for the first time since I started on my grand purpose, I find myself having doubts.   
The others were nearing adulthood. And one of them survived - I have no doubt she is embracing life to the fullest, now that she knows how easily it can slip away. But this one is so young. The youngest Slayer in history, if I'm not mistaken.   
I know she is strong. Her small size is to my advantage - there is little chance she can overpower me when dosed with chloroform.   
But I made a mistake in the past. That one was not a loss to the world of Slaying, but this one

18/10  
I went to church today to ask for guidance and strength. And when I prayed (something I haven't done since childhood) I felt something like grace flow through me. I knew, with a surety that shook me, that what I am doing is correct. I will check my plan one more time, and in four days time I will take her and reconstruct her. I will not fail, and she can go back to her life when I am done.

29/10  
I am in Canada. It is lovely here. The leaves fall like rain, and the colours are a joy to behold. I find myself sorely in need of joy. 

31/10  
I captured the young Slayer. I knocked out her school teacher and hid him in a cupboard, taking his place for the day. During lunch I convinced the young Slayer to come inside to help me with something. I subdued her with chloroform, bundled her into a large suitcase and drove her to the warehouse I'd prepared before.   
She was in the water and nearly drowned when I heard the door opening. It was Tony Hooper, rushing in to save his charge. How he knew where she was I will never know, since in his hurry he tripped and fell down the stairs, breaking his neck. I was busy reviving the young girl and could not help him.  
I could not help him.  
Another Slayer has been woken, and I am observing her as I write this.   
What I do is good. It will help people. There are four Slayers, protecting this world.  
I am helping. It is good.


	13. Depart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dream, a separation, a funeral

A brief wrestling match (that Rachel wins) means that she has control over the remote control. Therefore they watch _The Fast and The Furious_ before bed. 

'We've seen it twice this week,' says Sarah. 

'If you don't want to watch it, go to bed,' says Rachel.

But she doesn't. Rachel knew she wouldn't. She's enjoying the company, and trying not to think about tomorrow. Sarah and Krystal leave first thing in the morning. Krystal said they wouldn't even have time for breakfast. 

She's not sure when she falls asleep. She only knows that something has gone terribly wrong. 

_The scent of chloroform is sharp in her nose, stinging every time she takes a breath. She can feel herself, limp as a doll in someone else's arms, carried like a child. She wants to be put down. She wants her mother. She wants Uncle Tony._

_Who's Tony?_ Rachel thinks. 

_Then her head is underwater. It fills her mouth her nose hers lungs she can feel it pressing against her eyes and she struggles as best she can but her limbs don't move properly and she wishes she'd taken Tony's coaching on hand-to-hand combat seriously but it won't do her any good now because she's dying she can feel it that must be why the pain is stopping and it does stop for a moment but then her chest hurts and she vomits water and as she looks up she sees a demon - not a demon but a man but not a man a demon a man-demon - fleeing and then he doesn't matter any more because at the bottom of the stairs is Uncle Tony, his neck at a terrible angle and he isn't moving he isn't breathing and she screams_

'TONY!' 

But it isn't just Rachel screaming. Beside her Sarah is bolt upright, sweating and shaking. Just like Rachel. And she knows then that they have had the same dream.

Except it wasn't a dream. 

Krystal and Felix run in. Felix still has a toothbrush in his hand. Rachel can't stop staring at it as he grabs her by the shoulders and asks her what happened. 

'He's dead,' says Sarah. She bursts into tears. Rachel leans over and holds her as best she can. Her tears won't fall. Sarah cries enough for the both of them. 

The phone rings. Loud and shrill, it rings out and then rings again. Felix answers, nods a few times, and hangs up without saying a word.

'Did you two dream about Tony Hooper dying?' he asks.

Rachel nods. Sarah sobs. 

Krystal gives him a sharp look. 'He's dead?'

He nods. 'One of the agents sent to watch Cosima called me. The slayer-killer kidnapped Cosima, and Tony died … he died trying to save her.'

'He was a demon. But on the inside,' says Rachel quietly. 

'Are you saying he's possessed?' says Krystal, sitting gingerly on the coffee table.

Both slayers shake their heads.

'He's human, all the way through. But he's … evil. Like demons are. He treats us like … things,' says Sarah. Rachel nods. 

'Well, there's nothing else we can do tonight. You girls should go to bed. Do you need anything?'

They shakes their heads and head back to Rachel's room, where they quickly change into their pyjamas. Rachel gets into her bed but Sarah stands by her camp bed, hesitant. 

'Get in,' says Rachel, flicking back the sheets. Sarah crawls in beside her and they turn so they're back to back.

It's the safest Rachel's felt in years. She quickly falls asleep. 

***

Their separation is brief - a slayer and watcher board the plane while another slayer and her watcher stay behind. As the plane leaves Rachel turns to Felix and says, 'What's the Council doing to help the new slayers?'

'The next five potentials have been scryed by the Council witches. They did it a month ago, in case the slayer-killer struck again. The next five watchers have been in position since then, getting to know the potentials in case they awaken. All of them have guards as well, although in Cosima's case they didn't do her any good.'

'Cosima? She's the one who … who knew Tony?'

'Yes. She's all right, but I don't know anything else. I do know her family is looking after her.'

Rachel doesn't think about her family. She thinks about Sarah, who quickly became something like a sister. She wonders what Cosima is like. What the new slayer is like.

She wonders what it will take to kill the slayer-killer. 

'Let's get back,' she says. 'I want to train.'

***

It's a beautiful spring day when they bury Uncle Tony. The stench of roses burns in her nostrils. She will forever associate that smell with grief, with high-pitched wails as a coffin is lowered beneath the ground while she watches, dry-eyed and resolute. 

The gathered mourners - Cosima's family, Tony's niece, and a handful of Council members - throw their flowers into the grave. When they are done, while they walk away, Cosima announces, 'I won't be a slayer. Not anymore.' 

Her family nod, distracted. Her father squeezes her hand just a little tighter. 

None of them see Arthur watching them as they leave the cemetery.


	14. Enlightenment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A party girl and a witch learn some things

If you ask anyone who knows her, they'll tell you, 'Mika loves to party!' It's true, she does. Her idea of a fun night is half a dozen shots, loud music, and fucking a stranger in the backseat of her car. Or their car. She's not fussy.

She doesn't know this night will be any different. 

The woman at the bar is cute - Asian, glasses, blonde hair in a tight bun. Like a super hot librarian chick. She isn't Mika's usual type, but she buys Mika a couple of drinks and they get to chatting. Mika starts to lose interest when she realises that the librarian chick - who introduces herself as Siobhan - isn't up for a quick fuck, but then Siobhan suggests they go somewhere else. 

Mika agrees and they go for a long walk beside the river, chatting about random shit. It's a nice change, and Mika finds herself having a good time. When Siobhan calls it a night at the stupidly early time of one am Mika heads back to the bar and quickly picks up another chick - less hot but very horny, and that's good enough for Mika. 

She sees Siobhan again a couple of times. She finds it creepy at first because she can tell Siobhan is keeping something a secret, something about Mika, but she has three knives hidden in her clothes at all times, and she sure as shit knows how to use them. So they keep hanging out, even though Siobhan refuses to do a single shot. Mika drinks enough for the both of them, confident she has someone to walk her home, or at least hold back her hair if she throws up.

After a month or so Mika is in the bar again. Siobhan is in the pisser when it happens. 

It feels like being struck by lightning, hot and hard and out of her control, like sex but only the worst parts. It hits her so hard she falls from her stool, landing hard on the sticky floor. 

They told her later she was screaming, but she doesn't remember. She only remembers her back arching as every nerve within her _howls_. 

Then Siobhan, her friend Siobhan with the secret shows up, and she helps Mika to sit, dribbles water into her mouth until Mika can drink it by her damn self. Her face is concerned but not worried. This must be the secret. She knew this would happen.

It's only been a minute but already she feels better. Better than better. She's never felt this good, this _strong_ before in her life. 

Siobhan takes her outside and volunteers to drive her home. Mika refuses to go anywhere until Siobhan tells her what the fuck is happening. Siobhan compromises by taking them both back to her place and ordering a pizza. While they wait for it to arrive Siobhan takes a deep breath and gives her the whole spiel. Monsters exist, and there is one girl in the whole world who can fight them. A Slayer. When one dies the next one gets called, and this time it's Mika. Except something strange is happening and now there are four of these slayers running around, and Mika is in some pretty serious danger. 

She likes the idea of being a slayer, of being able to whale on things without having to worry about the cops. She asks if her mother's boyfriends count as demons, and Siobhan says no.

So Mika decides to stay with Siobhan, who doesn't look happy but doesn't say no either, so Mika decides that it will all be cool and moves her stuff in the next day. It doesn't take long - her 'stuff' is a rucksack full of clothes, her knives and a trophy she got for winning the science fair when she was eleven. 

She starts training without any complaint, enjoying the book learning as much as learning to hit with precision. The only shitty thing about being the slayer is the increased metabolism, which means she can't get drunk, not even when she downs an entire bottle of vodka. All she gets is a mild buzz. She's pissed (not the way she wants to be) but decides that, for once, her life is good. Even if Siobhan gets upset when she brings people over. She explains she'd like to try fucking in a real bed for a change, but after the third time Siobhan actually raises her voice, and Mika is so impressed with her backbone that she agrees to stop bringing people over.

When Siobhan's around, anyway. 

***

Cosima goes back to school the next day. She's not afraid of being kidnapped again. She's not afraid of being hurt. She feels nothing.

When she closes her eyes, she sees a man - a guardian, her family - trying to save her. She sees his neck bent at that impossible angle. She sees herself crawling towards him, sick and dizzy from the drugging and the drowning but needing comfort and going towards the closest source, even if he was no longer capable of providing it.

That's where they found her - curled up next to Uncle Tony's cooling body, shivering and sick. She screamed when they tried to move her, but she was so small it only took two of them to pick her up and carry her back outside into the light. 

Her brothers tell her she should go back to being a slayer, because 'killing stuff is cool'. She ignores them. She never did kill anything during her training, although there was almost an incident with a cat. 

She doesn't want to fight. She doesn't want to protect people. She just wants to live in a world where people don't break their necks while trying to save you. 

One day she is approached by a man she's seen around. He holds his hands up and keeps his distance, but still he speaks. 

'You need a new watcher,' he says. 

'I am no longer a slayer.'

He smiles sadly. ‘Yes, you are. Slayer's don't get a choice. You've been called to fight. It is your duty.' 

Uncle Tony said that to her parents. It was only a few weeks ago. 

The tears come then, hard and fast, a dam bursting inside of her, raging out of control until she's limp and sobbing on the side of the road. People surround her, concern on their faces, but only one approaches. He helps her stand, and hands her a tissue.

'Who are you?' she asks.

'Arthur.'

***

He tells her he's impressed at how much she covered in her short time with Tony. She tells him Tony was a good teacher. 

'Did he give you the idea for these?' he asks, holding up one of her holy water balloons.

'No. He thought they were weird. But I like them, even though I haven't used any yet.' 

'Cosima, have you been on a hunt yet?'

'No.' 

'How about tonight?'

And that's how she finds herself in a cemetery at midnight. It's the one Tony's buried in, and she promises she will stop and pay her respects once the vampire in front of her is dead. 

She's been stalking him for three blocks, slipping easily from building to building as he stalks the streets. A cool breeze ghosts across her skin and the vampire ahead of her freezes. So does she. Did it catch her scent?

It turns and runs towards her. With speed and accuracy born of hours of practice she stands, takes aim and shoots it squarely through the heart. He explodes in a cloud of dust that would be pretty if it weren't so shocking.

'I didn't know they'd just … dissolve like that,' she whispers as Arthur appears beside her, cross and stake at the ready.

'It's convenient, certainly,' he replies. 'No bodies to hide from the authorities.' 

On their way out they each lay a flower on Tony's grave. Arthur steps away to give her some privacy.

Cosima bows her head and closes her eyes. 'I'm sorry. I'm training again. I will get stronger and catch your killer. I promise.'

She turns and walks home, guided by the moonlight. 

***

'Can slayers be witches too?'

Arthur stops walking as he thinks it over. 'I suppose so. It's probably happened before. Why?'

'I want to learn magic. I thought it would give me an edge that the slayer-killer won't expect.'

He stares at her for a long time. 'I'll lend you some books, beginner things. But you mustn't get your hopes up. It can take years before people can learn to cast a single spell effectively.’

She nods, even as she ignores his message. She will learn. She will get stronger. She will avenge her uncle Tony.

She will prevent more girls having to become slayers.


	15. Draught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Slayer walks into a bar

One day Siobhan asks how many tattoos she has. Mika laughs and offers to show them off. (The only one Siobhan can't see is hidden by her sock, but she doesn't mention that.) 

It starts a minor argument which is quickly sorted. It makes Mika uncomfortable though. Their arguments are getting more frequent. Maybe moving in with her watcher wasn't such a great idea after all. The woman is far too nervous, in Mika's opinion. And she seems to think Mika's too sexual, just because she's sixteen.

Training goes so well that Mika talks her watcher into letting her hunt after only a week. She kills three vampires in one night and is so buzzed after she doesn't even feel the need for a drink afterwards. It's good to know she can still get high on something. 

Siobhan's always on her phone checking for messages from Mika's 'guards'. She insists she doesn't need them, pointing out her increasingly high kill rate, but Siobhan refuses to remove them. It's the only time she gets firm with Mika. 

Mika had thought moving out of home would come with a sense of freedom. But really she's just traded one mother for another. Siobhan's cooler, sure, and she keeps going to clubs with Mika, but she keeps nagging until they leave early to go hunt things. And yeah, hunting's fun too but so is partying it up. Her so-called guardian is really harshing Mika's buzz. 

She's waiting for the day when Siobhan tells her that she has to choose between partying and slaying. She knows it's coming, and every day it doesn't happen sets her more on edge. 

One day she finds Siobhan pacing nervously in the front room. She tells Siobhan she's going out to hunt, but her watcher shakes her head and says she's only heard back from four of the guards instead of five. She won't let Mika out of the apartment until she knows everything's okay. 

Wanting to avoid another argument, Mika heads back to her room, opens the window and flings herself into the night, confident she'll land safely. 

She doesn't, but her shoulder pops right back into the socket and she makes her way downtown with confidence and a stake, the only two things she'll ever need. 

After another night hunting vamps she heads to her old bar. She still can't get drunk but it's been a while and she wants to see her friends. At the bar is a guy who is definitely her type - young, cute, fit and just on the wrong side of normal. He buys her a few drinks and it's while slugging back her third that she realises the alcohol is kicking in. 

And then she realises that the room is spinning in a way that isn't right. And then she realises the guy buying her drinks is smiling so wide his head might fall off, and she leans forward to warn him but she leans too far forward and falls off her stool but at least he's nice enough to carry her outside where it's nice and cool, right? And she's in his car now, and she hopes he's driving her home because she's not in the mood for sex because her stomach's upset and so she leans forward and throws up all over the dashboard and he roars and she laughs because people don't roar only animals do and then her heads hurts and everything goes black.

***

Back in the apartment Siobhan is getting worried, especially when the number of guards reporting in drops to two, and then one. She grabs her emergency kit and runs to tell Mika to grabs hers too. But the door swings open and her funny, smart, disobedient slayer is gone, and as the breeze ruffles the curtains Siobhan closes her eyes and prays that Mika is all right.


	16. Recoil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Misogyny and hypocrisy rear their ugly heads

12/11  
The Council has become aware of my plan at last. Although it remains to be seen if they know it's MY plan. They are such fools.  
I have spotted five agents surrounding Siobhan's apartment. She seems to be living with her Slayer. I cannot tell if it is borne out of fear or if the new girl is particularly strong-willed. Siobhan always was a pushover.   
This is getting easier now. I can deal with the agents. I have my warehouse set up.  
I can do this.

14/11  
STUPID BITCH

15/11  
She fought me. Why do they always fight me?

16/11  
I went to the girl's bar several nights in a row, confident she would appear at some point. As I am quite attractive, I knew she would speak to me. When she did I bought her a drink with several 'roofies' I acquired from a young man in an alleyway. I also called the police on the man - anyone selling such drugs should not be on the streets.   
When Mika became unfocussed I dragged her outside 'to get some fresh air,' I told the other patrons. Then I put her in my car and drove her to the warehouse.  
Everything was going so well until she revealed that she had been TRICKING ME. ME! She wasn't unconscious at all, just pretending. Trying to make a FOOL out of me.   
Bitch.   
I admit to losing my temper and holding her under the water for too long. I did my best to revive her, really I did, but she remained dead.  
Still, someone so disobedient would surely have made a terrible Slayer. She was not worthy of the title, and I do not regret ridding her from this world.  
On to the next one.


	17. Imminent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A slayer-in-waiting, a dreamer and a cousin

My sister and I are sitting outside and enjoying the late afternoon sunshine when the woman approaches us. Kira nudges me. 

'That's her,' she says. 'The one that takes you away for training.'

So I stand before she can approach. 'Hello Delphine,' I say in English. 'My name is Helena. At what point will you start training me?'

Her mouth falls open and I hide a smile. I love surprising people like this.

'How … did you …'

My sister stands beside me. 'I had a dream months ago that you would come. Helena will be a slayer, one of many, and you will train her.'

'You're prophetic?'

'I don't know what this word means. But I have dreams that come true. Always, they come true. They can't be changed.'

Delphine frowns. 'Have you dreamt of a man? One that hurts women, slayers?'

My sister shakes her head regretfully. 'I do not control my dreams.'

'Do you know what I will say next?'

'You tell Helena that she needs to go into hiding. Someone is trying to kill her. And you will tell our parents we need to hide too. They do not want to go, but Helena and I packed their bags three days ago. We can go today if need be.'

The watcher looks away. I can't tell if she is nervous or laughing. 'You don't need to go just yet. He won't be here for a few weeks, that much is certain. But I would like to speak to your parents.'

So we bring her into our house, this stranger who will become my watcher, my friend. My parents are unhappy with the news but they learned years ago not to fight with Kira about her dreams. She didn't lie, they always come true. 

And so two days later, I hold my family close. I do not know if I will see them again. Kira doesn't know either.

'If I dream, I will call,' she says. Our parents pull us closer.

***

'Will I really be able to hunt monsters?' I ask.

'Yes. I will train you to fight, to defend yourself and others. That is the job of the slayer - to protect people against the creatures of the night.' Her German is perfect. 

I don't yet have the increased strength Delphine has promised so she starts by teaching me accuracy. She tells me about young Cosima in Kenya, who has started training with a crossbow because she fears her small frame will be a weakness. I emulate her, but I learn to shoot flaming arrows, in case I miss. My accuracy is not what it could be.

My watcher is so impressed she takes me hunting after only two weeks of training. I manage to kill a vampire, although another one gets away. 

On the way back I say, 'I didn't realise there were so many vampires in Munich.'

Delphine's face turns sour. 'Vampires are everywhere, like a plague. You will never wipe them all out.'

That doesn't mean I shouldn't try. Back at the house I find a pair of sharp scissors and use it to cut my hair until it no longer gets in my eyes, no matter how much I shake my head. When Delphine sees me, she says nothing. I hope she is impressed by my resolve. 

We keep training, strength and accuracy and martial arts and weapons. At night I am so sore, so tired that Delphine feeds me by hand, coaxing me to have 'just one more bite' until the food is gone. 

One morning I wake up and feel incredible. Gone are my bruises, my aches and pains. I feel like I could punch my way through a brick wall. My strength, my power, has finally arrived!

And then I realise where my power has come from. What it means for the one who came before. That she died, the Canadian one who drinks and parties too much. 

I run to tell Delphine. She stands with her back to me, a phone hanging limply from one hand. She knows.

I don't know how to deal with grief. In all of our training, we never went over this. So I make her a cup of tea and lift her gently into a chair, patting her hand until she rouses. 

'We need to go,' she says.

'Into hiding? Delphine, we're already hiding. The slayer-killer won't know where we are. You said even the council doesn't know.'

'Don't call him “slayer-killer”. His name is Theodore.' Her face twists in anger, no, in _fury_ , and I move away. 

'How do you -'

'There's footage of him at the bar where he took Mika. It's him.'

'Was he … a watcher? Do you know him?'

She laughs, bitter and twisted. 'He is a watcher. And my cousin. My kin.'

I don't bother trying to guess at how she feels. It won't do either of us any good. We need to stay focussed. 

'Where do you want us to go?' I ask.

'America. We'll train with Sarah, one of the other slayers.'

I don't want to go to America. They all have guns and shoot each other for fun. And barely any of them speak German. 

'I'll start packing,' is what I say. Perhaps I will like the other slayer. Perhaps we can be friends. She will be a good measure of my newfound strength.


	18. Miss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A revelation and a plan

Sarah puts down the phone with an unhappy sigh. 'Rachel says hi,' she tells Krystal.

'Do you miss her?'

'Yeah. I wish she were here instead of Helena. Rachel's much more fun.'

Krystal gives her a look. 'Please try to get along with her, Sarah. She is a fellow slayer and her life is in danger.'

Sarah wants to point out that they're all in danger, but decides against it. Both watchers have been arguing with each other as well, mainly on the best ways to train their respective slayers. It's made life very uncomfortable.

'I'm heading home,' says Sarah. 'I want to get a nap in before we patrol tonight.' 

'All right. Make sure you chat to your father, he's been sending me angry texts again.'

'Is there something going on between the two of you?' asks Sarah. She doesn't mean to say it but the words slip out before she can stop them.

Krystal gives her another look. 'Good bye, Sarah. I will see you at ten, sharp.'

She leaves, pretending she can't see Helena so she doesn't have to speak to her. 'Stuck-up cow,' she whispers to herself.

***

I do not like the American slayer. She is insubordinate and rude. And she doesn't appreciate the fact that she can go home to her father whenever she likes, while I haven't seen Vater in two months.

But she is smart, and strong. I like sparring against her. On my first day here I tried to coach her, to help her keep focus, but she wasn't interested. 

When she leaves I head for the gymnasium. I like the uneven bars the best. It is as close as I will ever get to flying, I think. I spin and flip and twirl until my arms are sore and only then do I stop. Last week I pushed myself too hard and fell from the bars, injuring my shoulder. I have learned my limits and stick to them. 

Delphine hands me a towel and some water. 'You should rest too,' she says, in German. I wonder if it is for my benefit or because she doesn't want Krystal to overhear. 

'You want me to patrol tonight?'

She nods. 'I know you and Sarah don't see eye to eye, but you are both slayers and you must learn to get along. This … Theodore business is beyond repulsive, but having more than one slayer could prove to be beneficial.'

'Do you think that's why he's doing this?' I ask, lowering my voice even though we are the only two in the room.

'Yes. Theodore was always strong-willed, and he always meant to do well, even if no one agreed with what he thought was right. I'm afraid he took that to an extreme this time.'

'Girls have _died_ ,' I whisper. 

Delphine looks away. 'Mika will be the last. I promise you that.'

***

The patrol goes well tonight, and Sarah is surprised to see that she and Helena fight well together. On their way back she grits her teeth and says, 'Great job. We should practice fighting as a team more often.'

'Yes,' says Helena. She doesn't make eye contact, and Sarah's invitation to go get a slushy dies on her tongue. 

Back at the house there is a terrific argument between Krystal, Delphine and two people on a tv screen. On closer inspection, she realises one is Felix. The other is a black man she has never seen before. 

'He is coming for my slayer!' Delphine snaps. 'I won't let him get her, or anyone else. We need to face him head on!'

'Delphine, we can't risk all being in the same place! Why would we make his job any easier?' says Felix. 

'It makes sense to draw him out,' says the black man. 'If all four slayers fight him, we're sure to catch him.'

'Arthur, you can't be serious!' shouts Felix. 'I won't put Rachel in danger!'

Krystal sighs. 'Let's put it to a vote then. Hands up if you think we should draw him out by putting the girls together.' She, Delphine and Arthur raise their hands, while Felix turns from the monitor and snaps at someone behind him. Sarah gets a peek of blonde hair.

'Done,' says Krystal. 'All we have to do now is decide where to go.'

They all start speaking at once and Sarah turns to leave. Helena is still standing beside her, her face unreadable. 

'What are the others like?' she asks.

'Rachel's tough but kind of angry and bossy. You … probably won't like her. And I've never met Cosima, but I hear she's really smart. Are you looking forward to meeting them?'

'No.'


	19. Approach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end is extremely f***ing nigh

Cosima's face is pressed against the tiny window as she tries to take in as much of the view as she can. The sky is impossibly blue and the clouds below her look soft and fluffy, like her quilt back home. She pushes away the moment of homesickness with a sigh and sits back in her chair only when she hears the trolley arrive. She wants juice, but they're out so she gets a soda instead. She can see Arthur staring at the wine even as he requests a soda as well. She doesn't ask. 

The flight takes sixteen hours and when it's over they have to transfer to another, much smaller plane. Arthur is looking distinctly grumpy but Cosima is enjoying her adventure. She's never spent time away from Yala before, let alone gone to another country. After spending so much time looking at different people she notices many of them are staring back, more than a few with anger clear on their faces.

She asks Arthur about it. His response is to shrug, wince, and pinch the bridge of his nose. 'One more flight,' he says. 'And then a soft bed. I hope.'

The next flight only takes an hour and at the airport they are greeted by a red-haired lady, who smiles warmly at them both and welcomes them to America. Cosima responds with a smile of her own, but her watcher just grumbles and heads towards their luggage. 

Krystal drives them to a town another hour away, and by the time they get there Cosima is tired as well. 

'We have a nice place set up,' says Krystal in her strange accent. It's not British, like Arthur or Tony's. It has a broad, friendly quality that Cosima likes. 

'I want to meet everyone first,' says Cosima. 

'Of course. The other slayers are here, and they're excited to meet you. Most of them.'

The last sentence is whispered, but Cosima's hearing is excellent. She wonders who isn't excited, and why. 

They pull into a town. At first Cosima thinks it's abandoned. She can't see people anywhere, and the buildings look rusted and old. As she steps out of the car the building next to them shudders in the breeze and Cosima steps back, worried it will fall on her. 

'This way,' says Krystal. She leads them through the town, shabby and rusted with weeds in the cracks of the pavement. They reach a building that looks worse than all the others, but once inside Cosima can see that the inside is pleasingly modern and, far more importantly, solid. 

'The Council has a few places like this around the world,' says Krystal. 'No one bothers us here.'

'Not for a few days, at least,' says another woman, appearing from another room. She smiles at Cosima but simply nods at Arthur, as if he is not worth her time. 'Ladies? She's here.'

There is a loud commotion upstairs followed by the sound of a herd of wild creatures running down the stairs. It turns out to be two excited young women, followed by a third who looks bored and world-weary. 

'Hi, Cosima!' says one girl. She leans forward, her thick black hair glossy under the fluorescent lights. 'I'm Sarah. Are you excited to be here?'

Excited isn't the word she'd use, but the flight was long and the second flight took more of her strength than she'd realised, and now, suddenly, under the scrutiny of these polished older women she feels very small and very young. So she shrugs, turns to Arthur and asked, 'Can I sleep now?'

'We'll take you to your room,' says a tall blonde lady. 'Geez, Sarah, leave her alone. Can't you see she's tired?'

She and Sarah bicker all the way up the stairs, and it makes Cosima feel a little more at home. They sound like her brothers. 

She falls asleep when her head hits the pillow and, mercifully, doesn't dream. 

***

Rachel and Sarah takes Cosima's shoes off and place a blanket over her. Then they retire to their own room.

'She's small,' says Rachel. 'I didn't think she'd be so small.'

'She's only twelve,' says Sarah. 'Krystal told me.'

'And she went what I went through? Fuck. That slayer-killer is a monster.'

'His name is Theodore.'

Rachel jumps and reaches for the knife on her thigh. 

'I would catch it before it hit me,' says the stranger in her thick accent, and she realises it's the other one. 

'How do you know his name, Helena?' asks Sarah, subtly moving between the two. 

'Delphine. She knows who he is. She may have known from the beginning.'

'Is he a watcher?' asks Rachel.

Helena nods, although it's hard to see in the dim light. None of them has turned on the lamp. 'He is her cousin.'

'Fuck,' says Rachel. They fall silent. 

'I must meditate before bed,' says Helena, rising. 'I will see you in the morning for training.'

'Good night, Helena,' says Sarah. When the door closes she turns on the light and glares at Rachel. 'You two could try to get along, you know.'

Rachel shrugs and turns the lamp off again. 'I don't need her for a friend. I have you. Night.'

***

Cosima's a lot of fun, and the next day she, Rachel and Cosima blow off training to explore the town and get to know each other. Helena stays behind, calling out something in German. 

They find an old park, once orderly and tamed but now overgrown with wildflowers and weeds. Sarah prefers it this way. 

Settled comfortably in the branches of a huge oak tree the youngest shows them the magic she's learnt. It's mostly levitating small objects and creating fireballs, but Rachel points out even these tricks can be helpful. 

'Vampires burn like crazy,' she says, swatting away the stick Sarah is poking her with. 'Chuck a couple of those and they'll run scared.'

'Do you think there are a lot of vampires here?' Cosima asks.

'No. There aren't any people, so it doesn't make sense for vampires to be here. They're like rats - they don't nest where there's no food,' says Sarah, climbing higher. 

They head back when their stomachs demand attention and are reprimanded by their respective watchers. Once the lectures have been shrugged off they eat, and all four slayers spend the afternoon sparring and practicing with various weapons, although that gets called off when the wind picks up and Felix nearly gets hit with a stray crossbow bolt. 

That night Sarah and Rachel talk until they fall asleep again. 

_A cloud rises over the mountains, low and ominous, swarming the town and it isn't a cloud it is_ evil, _evil in its purest form, not meant to be seen with mortal eyes and when she sees it she thinks it will drive her mad and so she opens her real eyes_

Sarah sits up bolt upright and screams. She hears three other voices join her, in perfect unison as they cry, 'THEY'RE COMING!'


	20. Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They fight and think and try to stay alive. Not necessarily in that order.

I accept the flask of water with a muttered, 'Thank you.' I do not know who handed it to me. My eyes are heavy. I am too tired to stay awake and so I sway on my feet until I hit the ground. It hurts, but not as much as standing upright does. 

'Cosima, I think it's time for the barrier spell,' says someone familiar. My mother? Of course not, she is not here. She is … I do not know where.

'Where is Mutter?’ I ask. 

'She is safe, little one. Sleep now.' The reply is in German. Ah. Delphine looks after me, then. That means I am safe. Theodore cannot reach me here. 

I close my eyes and allow myself to relax. 

***

Felix pulls open another crate with a happy sigh. 'They sent meat this time!' he says. 'I'm cooking this up right now.'

'The girls are asleep, and they need the protein more than you do,' says Krystal, taking the packet from him. He snatches it back.

'They've had a couple of hours, and the barrier spell is gonna break soon. I'll cook now and when they wake we can all eat, and we can fight on full stomachs.'

'Doesn't that gives you cramps?' Sarah mutters as she rolls over. Instantly she feels a hand on her head. Krystal. 

'Can't you sleep, love?' she asks.

Sarah shrugs as much as her tired body will allow. 'I think I did. I don't know. What day is it?'

'Wednesday. We've been fighting for two days now, and you're all doing terribly well.'

Sarah swings her legs over the side of the camp bed with effort. The room she shared with Rachel is gone, exploded into flames. They only just made it out with their lives - Delphine still has bandages on both arms from pulling Rachel free of the fire. 

'Can you get that meat on, Felix? I'd kill for a steak right now.'

'I think you already have,' he says, chuckling at his own joke.

Arthur enters the tent, sitting on the bench with an audible _thud_. 

'They've broken through the first barricade,' he says. 'Some of them fell into the holy water pit, but not enough. I think they've retreated for now, and the sun's about to come up.'

'A reprieve? Thank the lord,' says Krystal. 'Felix, while you're cooking heat up some of that vegetable soup, will you?'

***

She doesn't enjoy it. Fighting vamps was supposed to be fun. And it was, back in Mumbai. That was when she only fought a few at a time, and never in groups like this. Not coordinated, like these. Bastards.

'Come get some!' she screams, staking two at a time with the pike she'd crafted the night before. It's better than a regular stake. She doesn't have to be close enough to smell them as she kills them, which is a bonus. 

Sarah steps into her field of vision and Rachel turns, knowing her sister-slayer will keep her safe. They watch each other's backs. 

Ahead of her, she sees a vampire sneaking up on Helena and throws her pike like a spear. She kills it cleanly, but now she doesn't have a weapon. A demon she's never seen before lands on the ground in front of her and grins. Possibly. With all those teeth, it's hard to tell.

Rachel looks at her bare hands and shrugs. What's the point of enhanced strength if you're not going to use it?

She steps forward, once, twice, grips the thing by the ears and twists until its head comes clean off. Well, not clean. It turns out to be one of those demons that doesn't dissolve once killed, so she wipes away the blood as best as possible and rejoins the fray. 

***

Cosima casts the barrier spell again. Around her, the people that depend on her, that she depends on, are dying. They cradle wounded limbs, crawl on all fours towards the water and food the council sends, fall asleep sitting up. 

Every time she casts the spell she gets better at it. The barrier is stronger, and lasts longer. But it takes more strength every time. 

She can't tell them that she might fail them. She can't burden them any more than they already are. 

So she casts the spell and turns her head until the tears on her cheeks dry. If she wipes them away they will know.

Cosima needs to be strong. 

***

At first I think I am hallucinating. I have not slept properly for four days now, and it is bound to happen. Why else would I be seeing a strange man walk through demons and vampires as if he is strolling down the local street?

He heads straight towards me and it isn't until I head someone cry, 'Helena, run!' that I know he isn't a hallucination. But it's too late.

He raises a gun, aims it at my head, and fires.


	21. Resolve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theodore is determined to see this through

16/12  
It took me a month to find the next Slayer. I was confused until I discovered her Watcher was dear Delphine. She always was very sneaky. I haven't forgotten the time she hid my favourite ball and blamed it on the family dog.   
Hiding with the American Slayer was a good idea. Having more than one of them in the world throws off my tracking spells, and having two of them in the same town is clearly the reason it took so long.   
It is not a lack of resolve. 

19/12  
Delphine realises I am the Commander, or will be. Only she could hide herself from me this well. Only she knows how I think. Curse that bitch! Training together all those years ago is backfiring on me now.  
But I have a plan. I've already set up another reconstruction room, with more effective traps. I don't mind if Delphine dies. I never did like her much. 

20/12  
They're gone. All four of them. And last night I recognised Agent Bronson while buying energy bars at the local supermarket.   
The Council knows. And they know I'm here. I have to hide. 

23/12  
My scrying spells have never been so effective before. The Slayers must all be in the same place. How convenient.  
I have been wondering if I can kill a Slayer more than once? It would make things easier, to drown them again and again instead of hunting new ones down all the time. I do love efficiency. 

24/12  
I recognise this town. Abandoned after a slaughter in 1832, it was quietly bought by the Council and more than one building can be used a a stronghold.   
My semester here is about to bear fruit. I already know which building they're in. I have a new weapon that can take out Watcher and Slayer both.   
All I have to do now is let certain … individuals know that there are Slayers here. Killing one is something of a status symbol among demons.  
It breaks my heart to have to consort with such low creatures, but my Army will wipe them all out soon soon soon. 

27/12  
They fought for three days before I allowed them rest. My new tranquilliser gun will let them sleep and get the rest they so sorely need. I will be a good Commander to my Army.   
The rest of the demons are still in town but they cannot penetrate my barrier spell. They are not my specialty so I had to spend more than a few quid on an amulet, but it does the job.   
Slayers and Watchers are in their cages now. I can hear them waking up. They must be hungry.  
Soldiers need to eat.


	22. Absolute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captivity, magic and fighting. In that order

The first thing she notices is the cold. That leads to the second thought, which is that she can feel the individual metal bars against her skin. Which means she is naked, or nearly so. Whoever took her left her the dignity of underwear.

When she sees him, she'll tell him how grateful she is. She'll have to use her fists, of course. 

Sarah sits up and immediately vomits. She doesn't turn her head in time and some of it lands on her stomach and leg. 

'Of course,' she says out loud. Her voice is thin and she coughs. 

'Anyone else awake?' she asks. There is no response. She coughs again and stands, or tries to. The cage isn't big enough. 

She tries the bars and the door of the cage, just to be sure. But this thing must have been built to withstand demon strength, because hers does nothing. 

She looks around for her clothes. She had a perfectly good knife hidden in her sleeve, as well as a cross and a couple of stakes. But they aren't anywhere to be seen. 

Sarah wishes she'd thought to hide weapons in her underwear. And that thought is enough to make her smile a little. 

A groan from across the room makes her turn. Helena is sitting up too.

'You okay?' asks Sarah. Helena doesn't respond, but at least she doesn't throw up. 

Behind Helena's cage is a door, which opens, and a man steps through. Although Sarah doesn't know his face she recognises him instantly. 

'Theodore,' she growls. 

He nods. 'Pleased to meet you, Miss Mankiller,' he says. 'I take it you're hungry? I have enough for each of you.'

He tosses a couple of small energy bars into each cage. 

'Eat up and get your strength back,' he says as he leaves the room. 'We have work to do.'

***

Kenya is hot, of course. Even people who don't live there know that. But what they don't realise is that it gets cold, too. They have winter. It gets cold at night. They even have air conditioners. 

So Cosima is no stranger to the cold. She's also no stranger to being in her underwear. She's barely hit puberty and she and her brothers have no secrets between them. 

But waking up in a cage, the cold air and colder bars hitting her skin, is something she's never experienced and wishes never to go through again. She opens her eyes and stares at the ceiling. Before she moves she reaches out with her senses. She's tired and new to this, so she doesn't get far, but she can tell there's no one within arm's reach.

Cosima sits up slowly, her hand squashing an energy bar that has no business being there. 

'You're awake,' says a low voice. Helena. 

'Cosima, are you okay?' Rachel and Sarah, in unison. If they didn't look so different she'd think they were sisters. 

'You do magic, yes?' asks Helena, ignoring the other two.

Cosima nods, eating the energy bar. It hasn't been opened and therefore probably isn't poisoned. Plus she's hungry. 

'Can you move things? With your mind?'

Cosima nods again. 

'The cages have strong locks. Strong, but simple. You could undo it, if you concentrate.'

She takes a deep breath, looks at the looks and then looks at it again, seeing it with her power, all the pins and tumblers. Gently, she pokes and prods at it with her mind, concentrating on keeping her breathing even and slow. 

But it's too much and too soon. She swoons and falls, hitting the bottom of the cage. She's so tired it doesn't even hurt.

***

'Damnit, Helena! You pushed her too hard!'

'I don't see you coming up with a better idea,' says Helena. 

Rachel kicks the bars a couple of times, but she only manages to hurt her feet. 'When we get out of here, I'm going to fuck Theodore up,' she snarls. 

‘ _If_ we get out of here,' mutters Sarah. 

'Shut up,' says Rachel. 'We're getting out. We'll do it together.'

'How?' asks Sarah.

She doesn't know and falls silent.

***

At least this time when she wakes up she's not as confused as she was before. Just tired, cold and sore, with the added benefit of the nausea she feels whenever she's used too much magic. 

So she stays on her back, breathing deeply, glad for the meditation training from Arthur and Helena. It helps her focus, to find the centre of herself.

Cosima holds her breath for as long as possible. Thinking of cages, how they are made and how they can be broken. When she lets her breath out she thinks of hinges breaking, just a little, at their weakest points so the weight of the door does the rest. There is a creaking from her cage, and then a huge _crash_ as the door falls away, hitting Helena's cage on the way down. Cosima rises and exits the cage, unsteady on her feet. Across the room Rachel and Sarah cheer her on, while Helena murmurs, 'Well done, little sister.'

She takes a deep breath to try it again, but her stomach revolts and the remnants of the energy bar she's eaten hit the floor by her feet. 

'I can't get you guys out,' she whispers. 'I'm sorry.'

'Come here. Stay close,' says Helena. Cosima moves towards her cage as the factory door slams open, framing a furious and wild-eyed Theodore.

'How did you get out?' he roars, stalking forward, his eyes fixed firmly on Cosima's. She's so frightened and wants to run, but the thought of abandoning her friends to die is unthinkable. So she trusts in Helena and stays where she is.

Her sister-slayer does not disappoint. Theodore gets too close to Helena's cage and the trapped slayer rises and lashes out, grabbing him by the arm and slamming him against the bars, hard. She yells something in German, which Cosima doesn't speak, but she's already figured out Helena's plan and searches Theodore's pockets.

Inside are keys and a strange looking gun, both of which she throws to Sarah. She frees herself and then Rachel, and they run forward to fight.

***

Cosima's such a great kid. But Rachel can see she's barely staying upright, and Helena won't be able to hold Theodore like that for long. So she and Sarah rush to help. 

Theodore, ever prepared for any situation, did something that Rachel can't see, something that ends in a flash and Helena crying out in pain. Sarah hesitates, but nothing can stop Rachel. Not when that fucking murderer is so close. 

She throws herself at Theodore, not caring if he has any more weapons or tricks. She just does what she was born to do: fight monsters. She punches and kicks with vicious accuracy and it isn't until hands pull her back that she realises the screaming is coming from her own mouth. At her feet lies Theodore, curled in a ball and sobbing.

That means he's still alive. Rachel feels the rage wash over her again. She welcomes it and the strength it brings, but Sarah and Helena pull her back. 

'Let me kill him!' she screams.

***

I excel at violence, but that does not mean I enjoy it, nor do I enjoy watching other people be injured. But watching Rachel as she nearly killed Theodore … I was so focussed that I didn't even notice when Sarah had freed me and was shouting at me to pull Rachel back. 

Cosima was sitting on the floor, barely able to lift her head. Once Sarah and I got Rachel to calm down (I threatened to lock her back up if she wouldn't behave) we went to check on her while Rachel paced behind us, grumbling under her breath.

'We should just kill him now!' she says. 'What, exactly, has he done that makes you lot think he should enjoy one more breath?'

'We're not allowed to kill humans, Rachel!' says Sarah, her face red with anger or effort, I can't tell which. 'There's a reason for that!'

'Watchers aren't supposed to kill either, but that didn't stop him, did it?' Rachel is so close to Sarah I think they might bite each other. Rachel certainly looks angry enough. 

'Don't kill him,' says Cosima. She's standing now, leaning against the cage that so recently held me prisoner. I push between my sister-slayers and help her stand. 

'We don't need to kill him,' I say, wanting an end to the fight. 'He'll get worse than that.'

'What do you mean?' asks Cosima.

'The Council has a punishment planned for Theodore. They will place him in a hell dimension and he will burn forever. Delphine says the screaming is terrible.' 

Cosima's face turns even more pale. 'We can't put anyone through that!'

But Sarah and Rachel are nodding. 'Endless torment? Fuck yeah, let's get him to the Council,' says Rachel.

'Where are the watchers?' asks Sarah. 

***

Rachel volunteers to keep an eye on the slayer-killer while the others look for the watchers. But Helena takes over. She doesn't say she doesn't trust Rachel alone with him. She doesn't have to.

The watchers were in the next room, bound and gagged. The slayers freed them and then dressed in their clothes, neatly folded on a nearby table. 

The watchers tried to take charge. But Sarah pulled the phone from Krystal's hand and spoke to the Council herself, detailing everything that had happened to them over the past few days. 

Rachel hears them say that a chopper will be there soon to pick them up. She feels a spark of excitement - she's always wanted to ride in a helicopter.


	23. Judgement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An end. And beginnings.

Sarah's never been in a courtroom before. She didn't think this would be part of her Slayer experience. But then, so much of her life has turned out differently to what she'd imagined. 

She doesn't bother planning for the future anymore. There's not much point. 

Her father shifts beside her, already bored. She nudges him and tells him to be still as the door opens and Theodore Sebold is led inside. There is a moment of hush, broken by screams of outrage and booing. Ken joins in. 

Sarah's surprised by the rush of hate she feels. Of all the slayers, he hurt her the least. But she remembers their pain, their fear - she remembers watching Tony die, remembers the grief she feels for a man she would never meet. But she stays seated.

The judge is Neil Townsend, Head of the Watcher's Council. 

'Why are we bothering with this?' whispers Krystal. Sarah doesn't answer. 

The 'trial' is mercifully brief. Theodore is gagged throughout and given no chance to justify his crimes. 

After his list of crimes has been read out, the 'judge' proclaims Theodore 'Guilty!' and sentences him to the 'Traitor's Cage'. Around the room, heads nod as a large cage, not unlike the one Sarah and her sister-slayers were so recently trapped in. She appreciates the irony. 

Theodore has barely moved since he was abruptly shoved into his seat. But as the cage is rolled in he begins to struggle and stands as if to run away. He is caught by several large, muscled men and thrown headfirst into the cage. 

Sarah spots Cosima a few rows in front of her. Her head is turned away. She can see Krystal look away too. But Sarah keeps her eyes fixed on the man who caused so much damage and yet, perversely, brought so many new friends - new sisters - into her life. 

As the cage door slams Theodore's gag and ropes fall away. For a brief moment he looks relieved, and then fire rises, from the bottom of the cage to the top, a pillar of flame so bright it's hard not to turn away. But Sarah keeps watching until the screaming starts. Then people start to leave, in ones and twos, marching quietly away as the screams increase in volume and pitch. 

***

I wait outside. Delphine has gone but she promises she will see me tonight, to take me back to my family. They are safe now - as safe as the family of a slayer can ever be. I look forward to seeing them again. 

Cosima emerges first. I missed her in the crowd but I heard someone leaving the room as Theodore was being thrown in. She looks upset and I pull her into a one-armed hug, which she returns.

Then Sarah, with her father and Krystal. They both nod to Sarah and leave. Sarah joins us, turning her face to the sun as we wait. 

When Rachel arrives she looks pleased. 'If there's one person who deserves a punishment like that, it's him,' she says, jumping onto the railing and balancing on one leg. The other two say nothing, but I nod. 

'Where's everyone headed?' asks Sarah. 

'I'm going home,' says Cosima. 'Arthur's coming with me - he wants to continue my training, and he's going to look for a local coven to teach me.' 

'Dad and I are heading out tomorrow. Krystal heard some rumours about an apocalypse-level event, so I have to go home.' She laughs, quietly. 'Never any rest for us, right?'

'I will be going home too,' I say. 

'Can I come with you?' asks Rachel suddenly.

It takes me a moment to realise she's speaking to me. 'What?' is all I can say.

'I don't exactly have a home to go to. And I never really liked Mumbai. And I … I don't have to stay with you, obviously, but my German's okay and you could show me around Munich and two slayers are better than one, right?'

'What about Felix?' I ask. 

She shrugs. 'I didn't ask him. Beside, I don't really need any more training. If I can survive three full days of fighting I can survive just about anything.' 

I try to picture life with Rachel in it and fail. But … 

'Come along,' I say, standing. 'We have a guest room - you can stay until you find a place for yourself.'

She nods and smiles but doesn't meet my eyes. 

'I guess this is goodbye,' says Cosima. I expected her to cry but she looks dry-eyed. Resolute. She has grown. But then, so have we all.

'Call me, okay guys?' says Sarah as she walks away. 'Or email, or whatever. But keep in touch!'

Rachel and I join Delphine, who is waiting for a taxi. 'Both of you?' she asks. 

'Yes.' 

'Fine. I'll book an extra ticket.' 

Everything is good until we get on the plane. Rachel insists on the aisle seat because, 'I have to pee a lot on flights.' 

'But you have the window seat. It says so on your ticket,' I say. 

We argue until Delphine yells that we both have to sit in our own seats and if we don't stop arguing she'll take away our headphones.

I sigh. This is going to be a long flight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing this! I really hope you enjoyed it :)


End file.
